Somaliland: Mixed Signals on Future SL/Somalia Talks

Somalilandsun – Sirens that are being sounded do not augor well for the future of SL/Somalia relations.

Given the manner of Somali president’s vow in his speech that he swore to defend what he termed as the “Three Ds” and that he would not “accept anything less than (any thing short of) those spelt out in the vows”, three perturbing issues arise.

Firstly it goes against the spirit of the past three (London, Dubai and Ankara) accords.

Secondly it is a vow on what is unjustified (quite illegal) and, thirdly and worst of all, it is a blunt threat to our sovereignty – thus a sort of outright declaration of war.

He described the three “Ds’ as Diinta, Dadka and Dalka (loosely translated from Somali they mean -religion, people and land) to remain as one. He openly and practically claimed the whole of all the territorial lands of Somaliland by saying he has to unite (at all costs) the land from Ras Asayr to Rascamboni.

He did not say how nor did he rule out war!

He was talking as if the former Somalia regime had signed a MoU on the Charter of Union! What a false oath!.

As bold and as pragmatic as this column has always been, we take to affirm that SL’s case is both technically and practically legally based.

Now that the turn of events have charted out talks as a way settling out issues between Hargeisa and Mogadishu the core matter should be upper most all minds.

In other words the bone of contention that is at stake, is one that concerns the legal

rights of millions of people, whose aspirations gingerly rests upon.

This aspiration so dear to them, we repeat, is of a legal conjecture, notwithstanding the nature of politicking doing rounds.

For the talks to succeed, and for that matter to fruitful conclusion, SL should be bold and unequivocal on the crux of the matter.

We do not know nor understand whether the southerners are trying to sabotage the future talks.

The Dubai and Ankara talks made it clear that both sides should refrain from derailing the talks hence do all necessary efforts to avert such.

When a principal of the talks and his lieutenants indulge in such age-old drumbeats of doom, then, the future of the talks may as well be off-road.

On the same note, it is quite sad, that given the Wednesday/Thursday live transmission of the London Somalia celebration till past midnight by almost all Somali TV stations e.g HCTV, UNIV, SOMNATION, etc), not even one Somaliland media-house dared to point out the graveness of the matter.

It is equally sad that it had to be the Turkish foreign ministry that interpreted the meaning, inclinations and insinuations of the blared horns whose sirens portend repercussive reverberations.

It is to this effect that SL should set its mind straight and re-affirm, revitalized, re-assure and revamp her people and resources, politically or otherwise.

The writer M.A.Egge is editor of The Horn Tribune a weekly English newspaper published in Hargeisa by the state owned Dawan Media Group